Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Death Toll from Massive Turkey-Syria Earthquake at 16,000; Humanitarian Corridor Opened, International Sanctions Urged to be Lifted; President Zelenskyy Meets with European Leaders; President Biden and His Administration Travel Across the U.S. to Deliver Economic Message; Tornadoes Hits the South. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired February 09, 2023 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and all around the world. You are watching "CNN Newsroom" and I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, aid groups around the world are rushing to help Turkey and Syria after Monday's deadly earthquake. I'll speak with the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council about the urgent efforts to help the survivors.

Plus, parts of the southern U.S. are surveying damage after severe storms ripped through the area. We're live at the CNN Weather Center with the very latest.

And after surprise visits to the U.K. and France, the Ukrainian president is headed to Belgium where he's been invited to an E.U. summit. We are live in Brussels and London on Volodymyr Zelenskyy's unannounced diplomatic tour of Europe.

Thanks for being with us. Well, the death toll from that devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria has nearly doubled in just the past 24 hours. Now, more than 16,000. Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, visited towns near the epicenter on Wednesday, admitting shortcomings in the government's initial response. Now, he says the situation is under control. The government restricted access to Twitter and detained nearly two dozen people who posted critical tweets, but the service has now been restored.

The Syrian government reports nearly 300,000 people have been forced from their homes by the quake. Damascus is opening mosques to survivors out of the bitter cold. And rescuers are still finding survivors. Two sisters were pulled from the debris in southern Turkey on Wednesday, 62 hours after the quake hit. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh was there as crews went through a collapsed residential building.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A five-year-old emerges from underneath the rubble in Turkey's hard hit Hatay, one of the youngest of thousands of lives saved. But for too many, it was too late. In the town of Kirikhan, they mourn one of the many who've not made it out alive.

With the death toll rising by the hour, this is a race against time. How many are buried under the wreckage of this massive quake zone, no one really knows. Estimates in the tens of thousands. Here in Adana, search and rescue crews work tirelessly around the clock digging through what used to be a 14-story residential building where families lay asleep when the monstrous earthquake hit.

Survivors have gathered at the site of the rescue mission. There is shelter and hot meals. And in the bitter cold, they huddle around these fires, everyone with a story of the horror they've survived. The shock, the trauma, the pain visible on every face. Parents doing what they can to try and make their little ones forget. Many here are anxiously awaiting news of their loved ones and friends buried under what's left of their homes.

(On camera): Go down. They're asking us to get down and we believe this is because they're scanning the building wreckage. This is a very, very careful and delicate operation that's going on, to try to see if they can locate any survivors because so far, they haven't been able to.

(Voice-over): No survivors yet, only lifeless bodies pulled. It's been three days. Why can't they get my son out, this father whales. As night falls, the rest of the family wait desperately for any news of 25-year-old Sert (ph). They've been out here for three long nights.

UNKNOWN: It's so, so, so bad. Because all night, we are taking my family, my relatives, my cousin's dad, he is crying so much. He is wondering where is his son.

KARADSHEH (on camera): Your cousin's dad. We saw him earlier. He was -- he was crying. He was crying (inaudible).

[03:04:55]

UNKNOWN: Yes, we all cry. That's why -- I don't know what to say. We should -- we should pray to God.

KARADSHEH (voice-over): And that is all they and countless others can do right now. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Adana, Turkey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, joining me now from Oslo, Norway, Jan Egeland is the secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council. Appreciate you being with us.

JAN EGELAND, SECRETARY GENERAL, NORWEGIAN REFUGEE COUNCIL: My pleasure.

CHURCH: The big operation now, of course, is to get aid to those in need in the wake of this massive earthquake. Talk to us about how difficult it is to get that aid to those in need, to Syria in particular, given that is such a complex political landscape. What do you have to deal with as aid organizations?

EGELAND: It is incredibly difficult to get to the people in need in their hour of greatest need. First, you have the earthquake itself. When we needed possible roads, bridges, airports, passage points across border lines, et cetera, the most -- they were gone because of the earthquake. It always happens in earthquakes, that you get these incredible logistical bottlenecks.

On top of that, in Syria, this happens in the middle of a conflict zone. There's been war here for more than 11 years. The northwest is under varying -- the control of various armed opposition groups. But the conflict line goes in the middle of the earthquake area. So, large parts of the earthquake zone is also under government control in Syria.

The NSC, my organization, is on both sides. We're among the very few who can work on both sides and we're now scaling up on all sides of the conflict lines with what we can purchase locally, which is not much, but at some, with what we can get cross border from all of the neighboring countries to Syria, but we're also trying to go cross line, conflict line at various points.

CHURCH: Exactly. You know, earlier, last hour in fact, I was talking to a spokesperson for the Medicins Sans Frontieres organization. And he was saying his organization like yours, there are no borders. That is the thing. All you want to do is get help to those most in need. But you're working right in the middle of this very complicated political situation, plus the war.

And we're dealing with a crisis upon crisis, tragedy upon tragedy. And in the midst of all this, we know that some of this aid is getting diverted away from those most in need. What are you able to tell us about that?

EGELAND: Well, all what we have and will get will be able -- we will be able with our personnel to give strength to those in greatest need. Our problem is that there are too few borders crossing points from Turkey. The main point that was sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council after much back and forth, that point is not really possible because the roots are not in operation because of the earthquake.

Non-governmental organizations can also use other points. We're not the United Nations, but there are few. The -- on both sides of this bitter conflict, there has been opposition to cross lines, frontline aid. I hope all of those political ideas that we have to make it difficult for the other side will be gone now. They all have one common enemy, which is this earthquake.

And the children on all sides should have the relief they need. So hopefully, they could be now doing away with these horrific political obstacles. Also, to a peace agreement, to reconciliation, to open borders, to frontlines being passable.

CHURCH: Yeah. Let's hope that that does happen. In the meantime, your big operation is to coordinate all of this aid, which must be just a gigantic, massive challenge for you and for others who try to get this aid to those in need. And how long do you think this will be needed? How long will this go on for do you think?

EGELAND: We will have to be rebuilding now for 10 years, at least. And here is an additional problem, Rosemary. The international donors have taken the position that with the Assad government in place, they do not want reconstruction in Syria before there is a peace agreement and a constitutional agreement as they call it.

[03:10:05]

What we say is these children need to have their schools, their homes, their waterworks, their electricity restored. Of course, they need to be rebuilding and reconstruction. So, what we hope is also that there will be a doing away of the restrictions of the aid because indeed, this is an earthquake beyond belief. It came in the middle the night, in the middle of the winter, in the middle of a conflict zone that is filled with people exhausted by the conflict, half of them in Syria are already displaced by the conflict.

CHURCH: Just extraordinary what you and your organization are doing at this time. Jan Egeland, thank you so much for talking with us. Appreciate it.

EGELAND: Thank you.

CHURCH: And for ways to help the victims of the earthquake, you can go to CNN.com/impact.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to attend the E.U. summit which is taking place today in Brussels. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called Mr. Zelenskyy's attendance a strong signal of solidarity. Just moments ago, Mr. Zelenskyy could be seen leaving France alongside French President Emmanuel Macron after a surprise visit to Paris on Wednesday.

And while visiting the French capital, the Ukrainian leader met with Mr. Macron as well as the German Chancellor. Both leaders pledged military aid for Ukraine. They pledged that will continue for as long as it's needed. And President Zelenskyy says their support can make a huge difference in the war. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translation): France and Germany have the potential to be game changers. The sooner Ukraine manages to get long-range weapons and modern planes, the stronger our coalition will be.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Mr. Zelenskyy also made that request during a stop in London earlier on Wednesday while visiting a British military facility. He said Ukraine's battlefield priorities are to obtain more armored vehicles, longer range missiles, and fighter jets. And our correspondents are tracking all the developments. Clare Sebastian is live for us in London. But we begin with Nic Robertson who is standing by in Brussels.

So, Nic, what can we expect to come out of this E.U. summit, certainly in terms of support for Ukraine and of course the whole reason why the president is there is he wants to get more weapons for his war to try to push Russia ultimately out of his country?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: And specifically, long range artillery rocket type weapons. That's specifically what he wants. He wants to get a reach deeper behind Russian lines to target their ammunition depots, their command-and-control areas that have so far been pushed back a little bit by systems like the U.S. system, like HIMARS.

But he wants a longer-range version of these rocket systems. But very importantly, and he made this point very squarely and very firmly when he was in the U.K., fighter aircraft. What President Zelenskyy says that he can do is help drive the conversation forward about what Ukraine requires next.

Ukraine has persistently called for additionally extra armaments at the beginning of the war, then air defense systems and eventually those began to come. Vehicles to take the advance through Russian lines, armored fighting vehicles. Those have been coming on their way. Tanks, the same. And now the discussion is about these longer-range weapons and the aircraft.

And it is significant that his point there that France and Germany can be game changers. A similar message in the U.K. when it can expect a similar message here. But what underlines his point here and what underlines concerns among European leaders that I was speaking in the weekend with Estonia's defense minister is if Ukraine doesn't get these significant game changing weapons in short order, then the conflict in Ukraine can bog down into a years-long trench warfare of attrition.

Sort of like the first world war. And that's going to potentially overtime undermine support. And all of those European capitals, for all the leaders gathered here, so, President Zelenskyy will address all the leaders, all that arriving for the summit, and likely, will address the European Parliament as well.

CHURCH: All right. We will certainly wait and see what he has to say. Nic Robertson, joining us live from Brussels. Many thanks to you. Well, now, let's bring in our Clare Sebastian live from London.

[03:14:59]

So, Clare, let's go back and of course President Zelenskyy was there in the United Kingdom. He was very well received there as he was in France. But let's focus in on what he achieved and what was agreed upon, at least, when he was in the U.K.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, this visit, Rosemary, came alongside an announcement from the U.K. that they were going to expand their training program of the Ukrainian forces to include pilots and marines. Now, pilots, of course, particularly crucial given that this was the trip as a whole basically an equivocal pitch for fighter planes. He didn't get that, but it is looking like that training that the U.K. is now promising for Ukrainian pilots may be a first step on that road.

A spokesman for the prime minister saying that the U.K. is actively looking at whether to send fighter jets. The defense minister is apparently investigating it. And take a listen to that what the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, had to say about what the U.K. could do next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RISHI SUNAK, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDON: First of all, we've been very clear, and we've been clear for a long time, that when it comes to the provision of military assistance to Ukraine, nothing is off the table. And that's because we're determined to ensure that Volodymyr, the president, and his people can be victorious.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: Well, the U.K. has shown that it's willing to trail blaze. It was the first to provide Challenger 2 tanks. They promised those main battle tanks to Ukraine. As far as we know, it is the first of Ukraine's western allies now to promise to train Ukrainian fighter pilots. All of this coming at a crucial moment in the war.

President Zelenskyy making it clear that he feels they are running out of time as Russia ramps up its activities along the front line. Russia though, the Russian embassy in London, also making it clear that they are not happy about this development, saying in regard to the comment by the prime minister's spokesperson, that they are actively looking whether to send fighter jets there. The embassy said Russia will know how to respond to any unfriendly actions by the British side. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Clare Sebastian, joining us live from London with that report.

And coming off a high from his state of the union address, the U.S. president is hitting key swing states ahead of a possible announcement on whether he'll run for re-election.

Plus, severe storms and possible tornadoes lead a trail of devastation in southern U.S. We will take a look at the damage and show you a suspected twister that was caught on video.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:20:00]

CHURCH: Welcome back everyone. Well, the aftermath of the U.S. president state of the union address looks a lot like the campaign trail. On Wednesday, President Biden was in the crucial swing state of Wisconsin, where he spoke about jobs and the economy. And Vice President Kamala Harris was in Georgia, another key battleground state. Later today, President Biden heads to Florida while Harris visits Minnesota.

And the cabinet secretaries are also fanning out across the country. CNN's Phil Mattingly has a closer look at how Biden is testing out his message ahead of an expected announcement about seeking re-election.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Folks, I hate to disappoint, but the Biden economic plan is working.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Biden on the road in Wisconsin, the first stop to sell the message he delivered to the nation at the state of the union.

BIDEN: We've been sent here to finish the job in my view.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): That primetime moment serving as a platform to sharpen a steadfast messaged working-class voter.

BIDEN: Folks, my economic plan is about investing in places and people that have been forgotten, amid the economic upheaval of the past four decades, too many people have been left behind and treated like they're invisible.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): And highlight kitchen table issues that appear small on their face.

BIDEN: We're going to ban surprise resort fees that hotels charge on your bill. Those fees can cost up to $90 a night at hotels that aren't even resorts.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): But that advisers (ph) (inaudible) critical to meeting Americans where they are, at the same time moving to draw a clear contrast with a new House Republican majority.

BIDEN: Some Republicans want Medicare and social security sunset.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Drawing a visceral response from Republicans in the chamber, who steadfastly claimed entitlement reform is off the table. But the president naming names.

BIDEN: I remind you, Rick Scott from Florida, the guy who ran the U.S. Senate campaign has a plan. I've got his brochure right here. He says all federal legislation sunsets every five years.

Ron Johnson on social security and Medicare, quote, "We should transfer everything. So, we have to consider everything every year."

There's a senator named Mike Lee, a video of him saying, "I am here right now to tell you one thing you've probably never heard from a politician. It would be my objection to phase out social security, pull it up by its roots, get rid of it."

MATTINGLY (voice-over): But Republican outrage only growing in the wake of Biden's remarks. REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREEN (R-GA): People are pissed off and for the

president of the United States to come into the people's house and lie like he did about the economy.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Speaker Kevin McCarthy seated behind Biden for the first time, holding nothing back

REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): I thought it was probably one of the most partisan state of the union speeches I've ever heard.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Even as in the moment, he attempted to call members of his own conference.

REP. NANCY PELOSI, FORMER SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: This is what the choices are, chaos or stability.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): A split screen that one Biden adviser called it, quote, "dream moment for the White House" coming at a critical moment for an 80-year-old president on the verge of one final campaign.

PELOSI: I think tonight he showed the energy, the empathy, the hopefulness that a presidential candidate would have.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MATTINGLY (on camera): And within 24 hours, it became pretty clear just how much the White House and the president in particular wants to have that fight over social security and Medicare.

[03:25:00]

Or at least try and force Republicans to put their own proposals on the table as they try and negotiate over an increase of the debt ceiling. And that is certainly going to be the case once again on Thursday when the president travels to Florida, not a state that he won in 2020, not a state when you talk to Democrats, they think they can win in 2024.

But it is a state that is home to Senator Rick Scott who put one of those proposals on the table. And it is a state with a lot of seniors, seniors who care a lot about both of those programs, certainly the president will be focused on them once again. Phil Mattingly, CNN, the White House.

CHURCH: And earlier, I spoke with CNN commentator Catherine Rampell about President Biden's state of the union address and I asked her if the economy is as strong as he's indicated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CATHERINE RAMPELL, CNN ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Certainly, by a lot of metrics, it looks that way. The economy, in any event, looks a lot stronger than I think a lot of people predicted, myself included. You have very strong job growth. If anything, it looks like the labor market may be heating up. You have inflation still too high, but moderating. So, not as bad as

it was. There had been fears of a recession. That doesn't seem to have materialized yet. It doesn't mean it won't. Things could still go awry, particularly if there's some very unwelcome shock like an escalation in the war in Ukraine, for example, which we would want for other reasons as well.

But, you know, we may not be out of the woods yet, but it does look like the economy is doing much better than consumers, at least voters, seem to be willing to give the president credit for.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Flash flood warnings are in effect for much of the area around New Orleans as strong storms and possible tornadoes pummeled millions of people across the United States. Storms ripped through an area near New Orleans just a short time ago, in fact. Officials say they damaged multiple homes and injured at least three people.

It happened after this video captured what looks to be a tornado in the area. Tornado warnings and watches were issued across much of the south on Wednesday. All part of a storm system that stretches all the way to Canada. So, let's bring in our meteorologist, Britley Ritz. And Britley, what is the latest do you have on this weather?

BRITLEY RITZ, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh, Rosemary, the tornado watches have been allowed to expire, but likely to re-go as we move into the next 24 hours, as the system ramps backup once we get the sunshine to kick in. Many tornado reports, as well as wind and hail. Three tornado reports, 18 wind and one hail over the last 24 hours.

We can expect more with this line through the rest of the morning and into the afternoon as it pushes through the southeast. And the rain, not only dealing with the threat of severe weather, but heavy rain causing the threat for flooding as we mentioned, from New Orleans all the way up into the Ohio River Valley.

Some of these areas across parts of the lower Mississippi valley have already picked up 4 to 6 inches of rain. Now, mind you, that's estimated. But 1 to 2 more inches expected with this line as it moves on through. Not only flooding, but also the wind. We have wind advisories and high wind warnings stretching from Tennessee into the Ohio River Valley, within the warning boxes, that darker color that you're seeing. We can expect wind gusts over 60 miles per hour.

And then of course, the colder side of things, with this area of low pressure. Dealing with snowfall between winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings for parts of eastern Iowa, that includes Cedar Rapids. We could pick up 3 to 6 inches of snowfall just today. And that severe weather threat, not only today, but into tomorrow as that front pushes eastward. You'll see areas in green, from the Florida Panhandle up through the Ohio Valley for your Thursday. Damaging winds and that isolated tornado threat.

And then of course, it pushes further east. And it will wind up with more of that damaging wind threat an isolated tornado threat down through parts of the southeast and into Florida, rolling into Friday and still holding on to that flooding threat, Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right, thank you so much for that. Appreciate it.

All right, still to come, want to show you these live pictures from Turkey with the mission to rescue earthquake survivors grows more urgent three days after the disaster in Turkey and Syria.

And she's back. Kim Jong-un is once again putting his child in the public eye. We will look at what message the North Koreans may be sending.

[03:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Many in Turkey and Syria are still waiting for help to arrive as the death toll from Monday's powerful earthquake has now surpassed 16,000.

The Syrian government says it has set up more than 100 shelters with aid supplies, and turned dozens of mosques into relief centers. State media reports nearly 300,000 people have been displaced by the quake, and that's only in the parts of Syria under government control.

Amid the despair, there are moments of joy and celebration. Sixty-two hours after the region was rattled by the 7.8 magnitude quake, two sisters were pulled to safety from under debris in southern Turkey.

Well, still anger is going over the government's response to the disaster. On Wednesday, Turkey's president visited some of the hardest hit areas. He conceded there have been problems, but said it's not possible to be prepared for disaster like this.

[03:35:05]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, PRESIDENT OF TURKEY (through translator): On the first day, we experienced some issues. But then on the second day and today, the situation has been taken under control. In some areas, first, we have problems in the airports. We had troubles on the roads. But we are more comfortable today. We will be more comfortable tomorrow. Then later, I believe, we will be more comfortable. There's some minor problems with fuel and so forth, but we are handling them step-by-step.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: I went to head to Istanbul, Turkey now with CNN's Salma Abdelaziz. So, Selma, talk to us about the latest on the search and rescue operations still underway in Turkey, in this desperate effort to find any remaining survivors under the rubble.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Rosemary. We are looking now really at the final hours, where that glimmer of hope still remains that you could find survivors under the rubble of their homes. You have to remember the conditions here that we're talking about, extremely cold weather. People crushed under the rubble of their homes, and very few resources to go around.

I, mean this is a truly unprecedented disaster for this generation of Turks across this country, who have, of course, been prepared for earthquakes and expected earthquakes, sitting of course on a major fault line. But you are looking at the biggest earthquake, the strongest earthquake, this country has seen in nearly 100 years.

And just imagine the scope and scale of this. There are nearly 16,000 people dead now in that affected area, nearly 60,000 people wounded, tens of thousands of people who need medical care, who need hospitals. And anger and grief is absolutely settling in in those areas because, again, if you look at that large disaster zone, yes, help is coming.

But it's not enough, particularly in those more remote areas, where we've seen those images, of course, of families huddled around makeshift fires, trying to stay warm with no access to food, shelter, sanitation, and of course, then there are the rescue operations that you've mentioned.

Again, there were seeing families who have not received those expert teams, have not seen those expert teams. We've heard those harrowing accounts of people hearing the relatives under the rubble, hearing their loved ones alive, but simply not able to dig them out with their bare hands, and the reaction to this is also playing out.

As you mentioned, President Erdogan has admitted shortcomings when it comes to the response. We've also seen there's been limits on social media accounts during his visit, according to activists, fears there that they are quieting dissent. But again, this is such an unprecedented, such a huge disaster that it's hard to imagine that Turkey could handle it alone.

CHURCH: It's just an extraordinary and tragic situation. Salma Abdulaziz joining us live from Istanbul, many thanks.

And still to come, the U.S. House is set to vote on whether to condemn the incident of the Chinese balloon flying in U.S. Airspace. More on Washington's grievances with Beijing just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: In the coming hours, the U.S. House is set to vote on a resolution condemning China's use of a suspected spy balloon over U.S. territory. It is the latest in the dispute over the balloon, which was shot down Saturday, prompting even NATO to acknowledge that there's been an increase in Chinese surveillance activities globally. U.S. officials agreed the balloon as part of a larger program that violates international law.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PATRICK RYDER, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: This is what we assessed as part of a larger Chinese surveillance balloon program. You've heard us talk in the past about the fact that this is a program that has been operated for several years.

ANTHONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The United States was not the only target of this broader program, which has violated the sovereignty of countries across five continents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins me now from Hong Kong with more. Kristie, interestingly, President Biden says U.S.-China relations have not been damaged by the spy balloon incident. What is Beijing's view of it?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Beijing has repeatedly called the U.S. shooting down its balloon an overreaction. And in regards that interesting PBS News Hour interview, the U.S. president saying the shooting down of the balloon, didn't make the U.S.-China relationship worse. But a number of China watchers disagree.

I want to show you a quote that we have from an analyst with CSIS, who says this, quote, "The relationship I think is just heading to a very, very dark place if the two sides don't find a way to put a floor underneath," unquote.

Now, U.S.-China ties are under strain at the moment, and observers fear that there is no window of opportunity in the short term for a reset. They say that China is gonna be very preoccupied with the National People's Congress kicks off in early March, and that China will get very angry when the U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reportedly will make eventually a trip to Taiwan.

Now, in that PBS News Hour interview, the U.S. president also made a few comments about the Chinese president, Xi Jinping. He says Xi Jinping faces, quote, "enormous problems," adding that he also has great potential. But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing is choosing to focus on the negative. In a briefing wrapped up this afternoon, we heard this from its spokeswoman.

[03:45:06]

Let's bring up the quote for you. This according to Mao Ning, saying, quote, "such remarks by the U.S. side are very irresponsible and contrary to basic diplomatic etiquette. And China is very strongly dissatisfied," unquote.

The spokeswoman also once again insisting that the balloon is a civilian vessel that blew off course. The U.S. says it is a spy craft, and it's part of an extensive Chinese military surveillance program that spans multiple continents with the Pentagon saying overnight saying that it's 100 percent that this balloon is not a civilian weather balloon.

Back to you, Rosemary. CHURCH: All right, our thanks to Kristie Lu Stout joining us live from Hong Kong. Many thanks.

Well, to North Korea now, where speculation is growing over Kim Jong- un's second child, and whether she is being groomed as his successor. She was by his side at an event on Wednesday, the first of his children to be seen attending a military parade. Could she also become the first female to be a leader?

CNN's Will Ripley tells us what is known about this young girl.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At this lavish banquets for the North Korean Army's 75th anniversary, Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, with his wife and a girl around 9 years old, a girl some say could be the chosen one, the one being groomed as the next North Korean leader.

By showing some quality time with his daughter, it looks like he wanted to show cases family as a good and stable one, he says, and to show himself as the leader for normal people.

Her life is anything but normal. Her name is Kim Ju-ae. At elementary school age, she already ranks a roomful of senior military officers. North Korean state media describing her as Kim's respected daughter, getting a standing ovation.

DENNIS RODMAN, FORMER NBA PLAYER: I call him friend. He's my friend.

RIPLEY (voice-over): we first learned her name from Dennis Rodman, the one-time buddy of the basketball loving Kim claimed he even got to hold the pint sized princess in 2013 when she was a baby.

A few months ago, Kim's daughter made her big state media reveal for an ICBM tests at Pyongyang's airport, inspecting her father's prized arsenal, an arsenal she could one day command.

A source with deep knowledge of the North Korean leadership threw cold water on the notion that this was a successor reveal, telling CNN it's too early to make any assumptions or speak about any possible successor. For sure, it's a clear signal Chairman Kim is sending to the world, a firm commitment to protecting his family and future generations with a nuclear program.

If chosen, she would be the first female and fourth generation of Kim family leadership, like a father, grandfather, and great grandfather. The family formula, fear, control, and a carefully crafted PR campaign, propaganda, praising the future leaders power and prowess. The successor can be a boy or girl, youngest or oldest, doesn't matter. The only mission, carry on the Kim family's fortune and power.

For a while, Kim's younger sister, Kim Yo-jong was viewed as Kim's possible eventual successor. She's known for her fiery speeches. She once famously directed the country's armed forces to blow up a joint liaison office near the border. Now, the eyes of the world are on Kim's daughter, experts analyzing every picture, every article for clues about the possible next North Korean leader. All of it likely before her 10th birthday.

Will Ripley, CNN, Taipei.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And still to come, weeks after a tragic health scare, U.S. football player Damar Hamlin is honored for his charity work, and we get new word on whether he'll return to the field. Back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. A blockbuster trade is shaking up the NBA season. The Brooklyn Nets have sent Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns. That is according to ESPN and The Athletic. In exchange, the Nets will reportedly receive three players from the Suns, plus four first round draft picks. The 34-year-old Durant is a two-time NBA champion although he has been sidelined with a sprained knee since early January.

U.S. football player Damar Hamlin is this year's winner of the NFL Players Association Community Award, which recognizes an athlete's positive impact on his community. The Buffalo Bills safety received the most votes from other players in the league.

It comes a month after he went into cardiac arrest during a game, and was rushed from the field to the hospital on live TV. The Bills say his toy drive foundation subsequently raised almost $9 million in donations, and here is what Hamlin had to say as he accepted that award.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAMAR HAMLIN, BUFFALO BILLS SAFETY: One of my favorite quotes, "it's a blessing to be a blessing." With that being said, I plan to never take this position for granted and always have an urgent approach in making a difference in a community where I come from, and also communities across the world. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Hamlin didn't talk about his future in football, but the medical director of the NFL players Union predicts it's a, quote, "guarantee," Hamlin will play professional football again.

[03:55:09]

And before we, go a pair of California woodpeckers stashed a huge trove of acorns in the walls of a home in Sonoma County. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNKNOWN: Holy burrow. This is crazy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Look at that. The homeowners had no clue something was strange until they saw meal worms coming out of a bedroom wall when a pest control employee cut a hole in the wall, you saw it there, about 700 pounds of acorns spilled out. The bird's stash likely collected over the past two to five years. You think you'd smell something, wouldn't you?

Thanks so much for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Have yourselves a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues with Max foster and Bianca Nobilo next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)